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Earlier this week, Tony Cascarino caused something of a stir with claims that Newcastle’s on-loan striker Salomon Rondon could be worth £50million should his impressive form for the Tyneside club continue.
The Venezuelan has certainly been a key part of Newcastle’s season, bagging nine goals and five assists in the Premier League while providing the physical focal point needed to make Rafa Benitez’s tactics work effectively.
Of course, Rondon’s potential value will be a hot topic amongst Magpies fans in the coming months. There is no agreed fee in place to make his move permanent, and this season will only give parent club West Brom more license to ramp up his price-tag.
So, how much is Rondon really worth? Football FanCast’s writers give their verdicts below…
Billy Meyers
“The Venezuelan has had a remarkable season for Newcastle – his nine league strikes and five assists have already bettered any of his total goal involvement stats for a single league season with the Baggies. However, at 29 years of age, Rondon is fairly old for a striker. Couple that with the fact that West Brom spent £12m on him, one would assume that they’d be looking to at least break even – as a result of that, Rondon is worth around the same fee, as, whilst he has improved, it could be too little too late for him at his age.”
James Beavis
“Worth more to Newcastle than to other clubs. The soon-to-be 30-year-old is vital to the way the Magpies play now, and in many ways having a striker like him who is committed to the cause is priceless. The Venezuela front-man can hold the ball up, is strong in the air, has good link-up with Ayoze Perez and Miguel Almiron and has shown that he can find the back of the net with nine Premier League goals thus far this term. Considering his age and the fact that he will only have 12 months remaining on his West Brom contract by the summer, Benitez should splash out £15m maximum on him.”
Jack Saville
“I’ve never been Rondon’s biggest fan, but there’s no doubt that Benitez is getting the best from him. With it looking likely he’ll hit double-figures in the Premier League this season, West Brom should be hoping to pocket £15m at the very least. A swap deal with Dwight Gayle could be a masterstroke which suits both parties, especially if the Baggies fail to win promotion.”
Christy Malyan
“For a club like Newcastle, Rondon’s worth his weight in gold. Relegation shouldn’t be a problem provided there’s ample service to him, and in terms of holding up the ball – which Benitez’s style of play requires – you’ll find few better in the Premier League. His age is a factor, but pace isn’t a huge part of the South American’s game anyway. I think any club outside the top six could do a lot worse than spending around £25m on him this summer – you know exactly what you’re getting, and this season has shown how effective Rondon can be when he’s utilised properly. Even as a backup option for the Premier League’s elite, he’d do a decent job.”